1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of thermally powered heat transfer systems. This invention relates more particularly to refrigeration systems which use heat to cool a structure. This invention relates as well to thermally powered heat pump systems which employ heat from a primary heat source to acquire heat from a second lower temperature heat source, the heat from both heat sources being used to heat a structure. The design of this invention is such that in one mode of operation it may be used to cool a structure and in its second mode of operation used to heat a structure.
This invention is specifically a significant improvement upon U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,547 issued to the inventor of this invention Dec. 6, 1983. This significant improvement results from the use of a new general method, sequential displacement, for using heat to accomplish the cooling or the efficent heating of a structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The thermally powered heat transfer system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,547 issued Dec. 6, 1983 employs a compressor which acts with positive compressive action in both of two possible compressive action directions; employs two heat sources to effect these compressive actions, one of these heat sources being 1ocated within the structure to be cooled when the system is used for cooling; employs two closed loops containing two different refrigerants, and employs two condensers both of which reject heat to an external heat sink when the system is used for cooling, the external heat sink having a temperature below that of the high temperature heat source and above that of the low temperature heat source. The thermally powered heat transfer system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,547 permits the higher temperature heat source to have a relatively low temperature in comparison to the temperature required for the operation of other thermally powered refrigeration systems to accomplish the cooling of a structure.